Pipe and casing tongs.



E. KIBELE & W. G. VREELAND.

PIPE AND CASING TONGS. APPLICATION FILED AUG 24, 1914.

1,129,299,, Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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PIPE AND CASING TONGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed August 24, 1914. Serial No. 858,398.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EUGENE KIBELE and WALTER G. VRnaLAnmboth citizens of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pipe and Casing Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a pipe and casing tongs and has as its principal object the provision of a tongs which is reversible.

A further object of our invention is to provide a tongs which may be reversed without being removed from the pipe or casing on which it may be in use.

A third object of our invention is to provide a reversible tongs which shall be convenient in operation and which may also be readily manufactured.

' A final object of our invention resides in the particular arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is an elevational View of a tongs embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is an elevational view taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one of the jaws in plan.

Throughoutthe separate views the same part is designated by the same reference character.

' Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 is the unitary handle and stock the head 2 of which is bifurcated as shown in Fig. 1 so as to form two integralprongs 33 extending somewhat laterally of the thread 2 on one side thereof, as indicated in Pivotally mounted between the prongs 3 by means of apin 4 is a smooth clamping jaw 5- which has pivoted thereto by means of a pin 7 a second clamping jaw 6, which has bitingteeth 8 set into its inner surface for engaging a pipe or casing. The end of the biting jaw 6 which is opposite the pin 7 may be held in either one of two positions;. in one of which positions the tongs being on a pipe the jaws are thrown together-and the teeth 8 bite the pipe when the handle is swung in the direction to screw up a right handed thread, while in the other of the two positions the jaws are forced together and the teeth thrown into biting po-;

sition when thehandle is swung in the direction to unscrew a right hand thread. The means for holding the jaws in the poas desired. Both the sitions just mentioned comprise the pins 9 and 10 which act in combination with a special conformation of the jaw 6.

It will be seen that the prongs 33 are provided with holes 1111 and 12 arranged in transverse alinement so that the pin 9 may be inserted into either 11-1l or 12--12 prongs 3 are also provided with holes 1111 and 1212', but one hole only of each of the two last mentioned sets appearing in the drawing. Now if the tongs are in the position-shown. in Fig. 2 and the pins 9 and 10 are placed in holes 11 and 11 respectively, the arrangement is such that the jaws are brought together and the teeth 8 will bite into a pipe if the handle is turned in a clock-wise di rection. If, however, pins -9 and 10 are placed in holes 12 and 12 respectively the tongs will turn the pipe only when the handle isturned in the counter-clockwise direction, the tongs being still viewed as in Fig. 2. This result is obtained by the cooperation of the pins 9 and 10 with the end 13 of the jaws 6. The end 13 normally rojects between the prongs 3, as shown in ig. 2, and is provided with two cam surfaces 14 and15 which form a slight angle. At the junction of surfaces 1% and 15 is a lug 18. The sides of the part 13 are cut away to form two sets of cam surfaces, such as 16 and 17, one set only being shown in the drawing. The surfaceslti and 17 also form an angle, as shown in Fig.3, and are nearly parallel to surfaces 14 and 15.

In the operation of the device let it be assumed that a pipe' is inserted in the tongs ward the recess 19 so that it will not hinder the movement of jaw 6 toward jaw 5, which movement is due to pin'9. If now the handle 1 is moved in the counter-clockwise direction, the pin 9 moves away from engaging position with surface 15 and slides along said surface until checked by the lug 18. In the meantime the pin 10 will be traveling along the surface 17 toward the vertex of its angle with surface 16 and will be forcing jaw 6 out into the position shown in Fig. 2 where the teeth 8 are free of the pipe. In order to reverse the tongs it is now necessary only to place pins 9 and 10 in holes 12 and 12'. If now the handle is turned counter-clockwise, the pins 9 and 10 move toward the free end of the part 13 but pin 9 binds against the surface 14 forcing the jaws together and pin 10 is free of surface 16. When, however, movement of the handle is reversed, the'pin 10 moves along surface 16 in the direction of 17 pushing jaw 6 away from jaw 5 until the movement of the parts is limited by contact of pin 9 with lug 18.

It will be understood that the jaws may be separated from the handle by removing the pin 4, permitting convenient transportation or the snbstitution of jaws of different sizes.

It will be seen that the pins 9 and 10 are shown rigidly connected to the stock by means of a chain 20. It will be understood, however, that this arrangement is for convenience and the pins may be separate if desired. 7

It will thus be seen that we have contrived a tongs well suited to carry out the objects of our invention. v

While we have shown and described the preferred form of our invention, we contemplate all arrangements for accomplishing the same results which are mechanically equivalent to our invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: a i

1. A wrench comprising in combination a pair of jaws, a handle pivoted to one jaw,

and reversible pin means acting directly and slidingly on the surface of the other of said jaws for moving the latter toward or away from the first mentioned jaw according to the movement of the handle.

2. A reversible wrench comprising in combination a pair of jaws, a handle pivoted to one jaw, and pin means acting directly on the surfaces of the other of said jaws for moving the latter toward or away from the first mentioned jaw according to the movement of the handle, said handle having means thereon for supporting said pin means in either one of two positions, the surfaces of said second mentioned jaw being so arranged that the operation of the wrench is reversed when said pin'means ischanged from one position to the other.

3. A reversible pipe wrench comprising in combination a pair of jaws, a handle pivoted to one jaw, the other jaw having cam surfaces thereon, said handle having a part rigid therewith provided with sets of holes, and a pair of pins for cotiperating with said cam surfaces, saidholes and said surfaces being so arranged that the wrench may be reversed by changing the pins from one set of holes to another.

4. A pipe or casing tongs comprising in combination, a handled stock, a smooth jaw pivoted tosaid jaw at the outer end thereof, said stock being bifurcated to receive the freeend of said toothed jaw and having sets of holes therein, and a pair of pins, said free end having cam surfaces for cooperating with said pins and so arranged that the tongs may be reversed by changing said pins from one set of holes to another.

A pipe or casing tongs comprising in combination a handled stock, said stock being bifurcated to form two laterally extending plates, a smooth jaw pivoted between said plates, a toothed jaw pivoted to the other end of Said smooth jaw, said plates having at least four holes therein arranged in pairs, and two pins for insertion into either pair of said holes, said toothed jaw having a projecting end for cooperation with said pins, said end being formed to present two sets of cam surfaces, the surfaces in each set being only slightly diverging and the cam surfaces of one set forming angles with the surfaces of the other set, said holes being so placed that said pins will engage said cam surfaces to force said toothed jaw toward and away from said smooth jaw when the stock is turned first in one direction and then in the other irrespective of which pair of holes is occupied by the pins.

- 6. A pipe wrench comprising in combination, a pair of jaws pivoted together, a handle pivoted to one jaw, and reversible pin means acting directly on the surface of the other of said jaws for moving the latter toward or away from the first mentioned jaw according to the movement of the handle.

7. A wrenchcomprising in combination, a pair of jaws pivotally connected together, a handle pivoted to one jaw, and pin means acting directly on the surfaces of the other of said jaws for moving the latter toward or away from the first mentioned jaw ac cording to the movement of the handle, said handlebeing arranged to support said pin means in either one of two positions, the surfaces of said second mentioned jaw being so arranged that the operation of the wrench is reversed when said pin means 15 changed from one position to the other.

In testimony whereof we aliix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE KIBELE. WALTER G. VREELAXD.

\Vitneses:

l. R. MCCRARY, R. Kare Axms. 

